Chapter 13

Question 1

ABCs

Answer 1

Airway- is the patient’s airway open and clear
Breathing- is the patient breathing adequately
Circulation- does the patient have an adequate pulse or is there any serious bleeding

Question 2

accessory muscle use

Answer 2

muscles of the neck, chest, and abdomen that can assist during respiratory difficulty

Question 3

AVPU scale

Answer 3

classifications of levels of responsiveness
Alert- patient will be awake and interacting with their environment
Verbal- patient appears unresponsive but will respond to loud verbal stimulus
Painful- patient does not respond to verbal stimulus, they may respond to painful stimuli such as a breastbone rub or pinch on the shoulder
Unresponsive- patient does not respond to verbal or painful stimuli

Question 4

baseline vital signs

Answer 4

the very first set of vitals signs obtained on a patient

Question 5

body substance isolation (BSI) precautions

Answer 5

the practice of using specific personal protective equipment to minimize contact with a patient’s blood and body fluids

Question 6

brachial pulse

Answer 6

the pulse that can be felt in the medial side of the upper arm between the elbow and shoulder

Question 7

DCAP-BTLS

Answer 7

rapid trauma assessment 
D- deformity or discoloration
C- contusions 
A- abrasions 
P- punctures or penetration 
B- burns 
T- tenderness
L- lacerations
S- swelling

Question 8

capillary refill

Answer 8

the return of blood in the capillaries of the skin- typically in 2 seconds or less

Question 9

carotid pulse

Answer 9

the pulse that can be felt on either side of the neck, adjacent to the trachea

Question 10

chief complaint

Answer 10

the main medical complaint as described by the patient

Question 11

crepitus

Answer 11

a grating noise or the sensation felt when broken bone ends rub together

Question 12

dorsalis pedis pulse

Answer 12

the pulse located on the top of the foot

Question 13

focused secondary assessment

Answer 13

an examination conducted on stable patients, focusing on a specific injury or medical complaint

Question 14

general impression

Answer 14

the first informal impression of the patient’s overall condition

Question 15

guarding

Answer 15

the protection of an area of pain by the patient; the spasms of muscles to minimize movement that might cause pain

Question 16

immediate life threats

Answer 16

any condition that may pose an immediate threat to the patient’s life, such as problems with the airway, breathing, circulation, or safety

Question 17

interventions

Answer 17

actions taken to correct or stabilize a patient’s illness or injury

Question 18

jugular vein distention

Answer 18

an abnormal bulging of the veins of the neck indicating cardiac compromise or possible injury to the chest

Question 19

manual stabilization

Answer 19

the process of restricting the movement of an injured person, individual, or limb with one’s hands

Question 20

mechanism of injury (MOI)

Answer 20

the force or forces that may have caused injury

Question 21

medical patient

Answer 21

one who has or describes symptoms of an illness

Question 22

nature of illness (NOI)

Answer 22

what is medically wrong with the patient; a complaint not related to an injury

Question 23

paradoxical movement

Answer 23

movement of an area of the chest wall in the opposite direction to the rest of the chest during respiration- an indication of chest wall trauma

Question 24

patient assessment

Answer 24

a standardized approach for performing a physical exam and obtaining a medical history on a patient

Question 25

primary assessment

Answer 25

a quick assessment of the patient’s airway, breathing, circulation, and bleeding to detect and correct any immediate life-threatening problems

Question 26

radial pulse

Answer 26

the pulse can be felt on the anterior aspect of the wrist, on the same side as the thumb

Question 27

rapid secondary assessment

Answer 27

a quick head-to-toe assessment of the most critical patients

Question 28

reassessment

Answer 28

the last step in patient assessment, used to detect changes in a patient’s condition

• includes repeating initial assessment
• reassessing and recording vital signs
• checking interventions

Question 29

scene size-up

Answer 29

an overview of the scene to identify any obvious or potential hazards

• taking BSI precautions
• determining scene safety
• identifying the MOI or NOI
• determining the number of patients and need for additional resources

Question 30

secondary assessment

Answer 30

a complete head to toe physical exam including medical history

Question 31

track marks

Answer 31

small dots of infection, scarring, or bruising that form a track along a vein, may be an indication of IV drug abuse

Question 32

trauma patient

Answer 32

one who has a physical injury caused by an external force

Question 33

tracheal deviation

Answer 33

a shifting of the trachea to either side of the midline of the neck caused by the buildup of pressure inside the chest (tension pneumothorax)